Vertical Roasters

Published March 1, 2009.
Web Exclusive.

Vertical roasters cook poultry evenly and crisp the skin all over—and you don’t have to turn the bird the way you would on a traditional V-rack.

Overview:

Vertical roasters cook poultry evenly and crisp the skin all over—and you don’t have to turn the bird the way you would on a traditional V-rack. But this technique depends on choosing the right roaster: Models that seemed flimsy created concerns about the chicken tipping over, and we didn’t like designs where the chicken sat in its own fat. We tested five models priced from $11.99 to $110, in materials from metal to porcelain to clay, using them to prepare our Glazed Roast Chicken. A few came attached to their own oval roasting pans, one was a simple tube, others had shallow metal trays and infusers for adding liquids before roasting. Our two top performers excelled in even roasting and sturdiness.

Vertical roasters cook poultry evenly and crisp the skin all over—and you don’t have to turn the bird the way you would on a traditional V-rack. But this technique depends on choosing the right roaster: Models that seemed flimsy created concerns about the chicken tipping over, and we didn’t like designs where the chicken sat in its own fat. We tested five models priced from $11.99 to $110, in materials from metal to porcelain to clay, using them to prepare our Glazed Roast Chicken. A few came attached to their own oval roasting pans, one was a simple tube, others had shallow metal trays and infusers for adding liquids before roasting. Our two top performers excelled in even roasting and sturdiness.

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